Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly travelled to Mauritania's Nouakchott on Saturday to head the Egyptian delegation on behalf of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi at the African Union's 31st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government. In statements to the state-owned MENA news agency, cabinet spokesman Ashraf Sultan said that the AU sessions will be held on 1 and 2 July under the theme 'Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa's Transformation.' The sessions will include discussions on fiscal and institutional reforms and developments on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Sultan said the consensus on choosing El-Sisi as a member of the troika of the African Commission in the African Union – which includes the current, previous and upcoming presidents of the African Union – for the next three years represents a new addition to Egypt's role on the African scene. The spokesman added that Egypt will continue its vital role in joint efforts in Africa and the African Union to accomplish sustainable development on the continent and defend its interests in international forums. “The interests of the African Union currently revolve around accomplishing sustainable development for the African continent through the execution of the '2063 Sustainable Agenda,' through activating the structure of African safety and peace in its different components,” Sultan said. Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry travelled to Mauritania to participate in the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union. Egypt's foreign ministry has said that Egypt's participation in the summit and its preparatory meetings comes as part of the country's commitment to addressing issues on the continent, especially as Egypt prepares to chair the summit in January 2019.
